At 10:45 this morning, the First Lady, along with Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Surgeon General Regina Benjamin, revealed the new food icon after months of planning. MyPlate – based off of the previous MyPyramid concept – is a fun, simple, uncomplicated image that represents a big step in the right direction for the future health of the nation.
At the unveiling, Michelle Obama remarked, “when it comes to understanding food, what’s more useful than a plate? What’s more simple than a plate?” And she makes a good point. For years, we relied on the ubiquitous MyPyramid symbol to educate children and families about proper nutrition. But this image was too complex to serve as a quick and easy guide for busy Americans. We needed something powerful, simple, understandable – something that depicted what foods we needed to eat and in what amount. MyPlate does just that.
The updated logo is an improvement on the former in many ways. For one, it is useful right away. There is no analysis required to understand the message. It is bright and catchy and will surely attract the attention of youngsters accustomed to seeing the cluttered pyramid on their cafeteria milk cartons. MyPlate also more closely aligns itself with the recently released 2010 Nutritional Guidelines for Americans. The plate image serves not only as a detailed icon, but as a tool that can reinforce healthy habits at breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Today’s unveiling is a continuation of the massive efforts to combat the obesity epidemic and help Americans make informed choices. MyPlate represents an important step in the right direction.
1 comment:
The MyPlate concept is great for teaching what a well-balanced meal really looks like. Divide my plate into sections? Sounds easy enough. It's very direct, simple and easy to communicate.
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